While the present invention is related in part to vehicles developed in the toy and hobby industry, the present invention, as will become apparent, may easily be applicable for full sized vehicles. There are many types of vehicles that use propellers as a source of lift or as a means for propulsion. The more common types of these vehicles are air/space based vehicles such as airplanes, helicopters, or unconventional aircraft.
Air-based vehicles such as planes, helicopters and unconventional aircraft that use propellers to create and sustain lift are well known. In general such aircraft, especially aircraft designed for the toy and hobby industry, require complex programming and mechanics to control the flight path and are especially difficult to control. In most instances, controlling these aircraft to fly in a stable horizontal position takes countless hours of practice. Examples of these prior art aircraft may be found in the following U.S. patents. U.S. Pat. No. 5,609,312 is directed to a model helicopter that describes an improved fuselage with a structure that supports radio-control components, drive train components and such, in an attempt to provide a simple structure. U.S. Pat. No. 5,836,545 is directed to a rotary wing model aircraft that includes a power distribution system that efficiently distributes engine power to the rotary wings and tail rotor system. U.S. Pat. No. 5,879,131 is directed to a main propeller system for model helicopters that are capable of surviving repeated crashes. U.S. Pat. No. 4,604,075 is directed to a toy helicopter that includes a removable control unit, which a user may plug into the toy helicopter.
These toys use at least one propeller rotating in a substantially horizontal plane to create and sustain lift. In addition these “aircraft” may have another propeller rotating at an angle from the horizontal plane to counter the torque created from the rotating horizontal propeller. Typically the second propeller is rotating in a substantially vertical plane. One problem that arises is when the propellers are rotating in the horizontal plane, variations such as wind or power fluctuations may cause the propeller blades to pitch further causing the aircraft to tip, turn, oscillate or bank. This effect may be compensated for and corrected in various ways with complicated programming and mechanics. However, as mentioned above these have a tendency to make the aircraft too expensive or too difficult to control, especially for children. The ability to even maintain horizontal stability in these aircrafts is extremely difficult.
As such a need exists to improve these aircrafts that utilize propellers to create and sustain lift to overcome the problems identified above. Such a need should be inexpensive and easy to implement. The outcome should further provide for aircrafts that are easy to control or manipulate without the need for complex linkages, servos, gyros or other electromechanical devices.
In addition to the need to improve the stability and control of these aircrafts, there is also an increased need to make such aircraft safer. Oftentimes a child or user is injured when the user comes in contact with a rotating propeller. As such there exists a further need to make the propellers safer.